Published on 5/21/2026
Togo announced that citizens of all African countries will be exempted from entry visas for a stay of up to 30 days, provided that they submit electronically via a government platform 24 hours before arrival. Thus, Togo joins a narrow club of no more than six African countries that have completely opened their borders to citizens of the continent, which includes Rwanda, Seychelles, Gambia, Benin and Ghana, while Kenya is close to the list by excluding only two countries (Somalia and Libya) from the exemption decision.
However, this openness remains an exception in a continent that includes 54 countries, as about 48 of them still adhere to a traditional visa system that restricts the movement of people and capital. These restrictions are reflected in the volume of intra-trade exchange, which does not exceed 16%, compared to more than 60% within the European Union, according to a report issued by the African Export-Import Bank last March.
What is more dangerous is that the African Union Protocol on Free Movement of Persons, adopted in 2018, has only been ratified by four countries so far, while it requires 15 ratifications to enter into force. As for the unified African passport, which was symbolically launched in 2016, it is still limited to diplomats and senior officials, which makes the current initiatives unilateral sovereign decisions that can be retracted at any moment, rather than binding legal obligations.
The African Visa Openness Index for 2024 shows modest cumulative progress, as Africans now travel without a visa in 28% of continental movement scenarios, compared to 27% in 2022, and only 20% in 2016. 33 out of 54 countries also grant visa exemption to ten or more countries, while about a quarter of travelers obtain a visa upon arrival.
Security: a real obstacle or a political excuse?
Countries that refuse openness rely on real security justifications, especially in the Sahel region, which is witnessing one of the most violent waves of armed conflicts in the world, in addition to weapons and human smuggling and cross-border crime. However, reducing the scene to the security dimension ignores deeper layers of economic and political calculations, including the dependence of some countries on visa revenues as a fixed sovereign resource, the fear of the exodus of workers towards more polarized economies, as well as the disparity in administrative and supervisory capabilities at the crossings.
Symbol advances, institutions lag behind
Observers believe that Togo’s step represents a positive development that adds symbolic momentum to the path of continental openness, but it does not reflect a deep institutional transformation. Reaching the dream of “Africa without borders” requires practical measures, such as ratifying protocols, unifying the customs and digital infrastructure, and enhancing security confidence between countries. Until this is achieved, the African Common Market remains closer to political discourse than to practical implementation, as weak political will and the absence of binding mechanisms emerge as major obstacles, in addition to existing security challenges.
